h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having the week off work, as TOIL for all the overtime I did before and during admissions interviews.

I have an on-going list of 'things to do' which I usually pretend I'm going to get done when I have time off work. Then, when I have time off, I think "Oh no, I'm on holiday - not going to do all those boring things. I'll do them in the evenings/at weekends when I'm back at work." Result - they don't get done at all.

However, I'm quite proud of the fact that this week I managed to do three of them on Monday, and have actually made quite a bit of progress in decluttering my study bookshelves, the item which has been at the top of the list for ... um, two years at least! This involves throwing away lots of English teaching stuff (like lesson plans from 1994, for example!). Took a stack of journals to ARU library, and they will either put them on the shelves or give them away to students of Applied Linguistics or the course I did there (MA in European Language and Intercultural Studies).

So far I have only emptied half a shelf, but now that I've started, I'm hoping to keep going - maybe do an hour every day.

Other things I've done during my hols:
- stayed in bed late every day (well, 9.00 is late for me!) drinking tea and reading;
- done the rounds of the charity shops in town - largely unsuccessful, except for books, which I do NOT need more of;
- yesterday my friend S and her little daughter (nearly 3), currently visiting from Canada for a couple of weeks, came for lunch and we had a lovely time chatting and playing. They are the people I visited in Calgary last summer and it was great to see them again - I really miss them.
- went to my calligraphy class on Tuesday and worked on a project I'm doing: a piece for a friend's 50th birthday. It's a verse from a song in Spanish. I'm still at the draft stage, but have now decided which size of nib and which colour ink I'm going to use, so hope I'll get the final version done before the big day (9 March)!

I should be going to a dance class (ballroom and Latin) this evening, but don't feel like going - if I don't, I'll have missed three weeks running.
When it's cold and dark, I just don't feel like leaving my nice little nest, even though I quite enjoy it once I get there. But I've decided I don't enjoy it ENOUGH to justify making the effort tonight.

Anyway, tomorrow is the last proper day of holiday (weekends don't count), and I'm going out for lunch with my friend E. We're treating ourselves to the £10-for-two-courses lunch at Loch Fyne - yummy fish restaurant.

annie,

Time away from work is too valuable to waste on chores so I'm pleased to see that you haven't succumbed to the temptation too much.

Enjoy waht's left of your hols,

Polly x

Thanks Polly!

I can now report that we had a delicious lunch today at Loch Fyne: we both started off with smoked salmon pate and oatcakes, then my friend had mackerel fillet with pesto mash, and I had mussels and chips. We drank a bottle of Entre Deux Mers (dry white) between us.

I then went off into town for a couple of hours, and we were supposed to meet up with some other friends at a cafe near where I live at 4pm. E (the friend from lunchtime) still hadn't arrived at 5.15, but then she sent a text to say she was feeling sick! Hope it wasn't anything from the lunch - but it was me who had the mussels!

We had our Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Dinner at Loch Fyne last term (at a very reasonable price for members... so reasonable in fact that I've now had all but 50p of my membership fee's worth!!) absolutely delicious food!! I think I had the mussels too for a starter and then salmon with a delicious shrimp couscous. Best meal I had all term!

Hi there Stephen!



I should hope so too - I wouldn't like to think that Sidney's buttery was producing better food than Loch Fyne!